Joe Jencks is an 25-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks was also co-founder of the harmony trio, Brother Sun. From Festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.
“If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert”, says Richmond Magazine. One of the originators of the finally recognized R&B/Folk/Jazz crossover-sub-genre, Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 13 albums, including 5 for Philo/Rounder Records.
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light are a Boston-based string band making music that blends folk tradition with feminist storytelling, poetic detail, and just enough grit. At the center is Sumner’s songwriting—rooted in history, myth, and personal reckoning—carried by close harmonies, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The trio features Kat Wallace on fiddle and vocals and Mike Siegel on upright bass and vocals, whose playing brings both tension and tenderness to the sound.
They are the winners of the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest.
Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship. Although best known as an acoustic songwriter that came up through coffeehouses and folk festivals, the Chicago-based artist has written songs in the style of Gershwin and Cole Porter, gospel music, traditional Cuban “son”, and New Orleans junk piano.
Lexi Ugelow will open
The North Reading Community Coffeehouse is proud to present its September, 2025 Showcase. This is going to be a special show with a special start time of 5:30. We are very excited to be welcoming all of the performers, but especially our very good friend, Iain Macdonald who has been a “virtual friend” of the North Reading Community Coffeehouse for a long time and is now coming from Scotland to perform live! The other performers are The Fretbenders – Bob and Dee Kordas, Mary Ann McAllister, Ronnee Stolzberg and Art Grossman. There might also be a surprise performer or two. We have a group of very talented musicians this month with a nice variety of music which will make for a very entertaining show. Each performer will do about a 30 minute set.
The event is free but donations will be gratefully accepted and we will be offering refreshments with all the proceeds going to the Friends of the Flint Memorial Library in North Reading with whom we will be doing these concerts in conjunction with, to help support the library.
The event will also be livestreamed on the North Reading Community Coffeehouse Facebook page and on the YouTube channel the following day!
We are located in the Activity Room of the Flint Memorial Library at 147 Park Street in North Reading. There is plenty of free parking. And as mentioned, we will start at 5:30. Please come, sit back, relax and listen to some terrific music! If you have any questions, please contact Art Grossman at
NRCoffeehouse@gmail.com.
